Jamaican ganja company Itopia Life Ltd has expanded its Itopian brand to Canada, becoming the first such business from the island to tap into what is said to be a multi-billion-dollar, adult-use market.

Through a licensing agreement, Itopia introduced its first Jamaica-inspired strain, Cherry Juice, to the Canadian adult-use market in September 2022 and, according to the company, the product “has quickly become a favourite for its consistency, potency, and rich terpene profile”.

The strain is currently available in more than 100 cannabis stores across Toronto and Ontario and rapid growth, the company said, “is on the horizon, with hundreds of other outlets expected in Ontario, British Colombia, and Newfoundland by the end of the year”.

On Monday, October 17, Itopia will be celebrating the launch of its Cherry Juice strain at the Toronto Marley Natural store. As part of a long-term strategy, Itopia Life CEO Blaine Dowdle said the company’s entry in the Canadian market is inspired by two big objectives.

“This is a win not just for Itopian but the entire Jamaican ganja industry. There is an international market for Jamaican ganja products due to the country’s strong cultural association with the plant,” a company release quotes Dowdle. “The launch of Itopian can be seen as the first foot through the door to step into the expansive market opportunity that Canada can provide Jamaican ganja companies.”

Dowdle said the second big objective is to pressure the Canadian Government to overturn its decision to prevent the import of commercial cannabis products.

That decision, the company said, “has disappointed many Jamaican and international cannabis companies as Canada represented a significant market with excellent revenue potentials”.

Dowdle further added that there are plans for Itopian to enter the US market through an existing agreement with a fast-rising US cannabis company, and these expansions will help to drive greater revenues and create new opportunities for Jamaica’s traditional ganja farmers.

“If we want to create real economic opportunities for the small farmer, we have to increase the demand for them to supply, and the international market is what will multiply that opportunity exponentially,” said Dowdle. “The international demand is already there. Once the international ganja consumer is aware of the high-quality products now produced and available in Jamaica, the global marketplace will dictate the demand for authentically grown Jamaican ganja, which our skilled local farmers can supply.

“What we need from the Jamaican authorities is to finalise an industry-supportive framework around operations and value-added products, such as edibles and topicals, and systems to meet the requisite testing and packaging requirements,” he said.

Itopia Life said it was among the first production licensees after Jamaica legalised medical ganja in 2015 and runs as a seed-to-sale business. The company’s 70-acre farm and production lab in the hills of St Ann have now added the new HotBox Jamaica guest house and attraction site.

Itopia Life’s retail outlet in Kingston has been open for more than three years and the company said it is in the midst of expanding to other communities across the island.

The company’s expansion to Canada was preceded by its Itopia Life Antigua venture, where it pioneered a groundbreaking, public-private, Rasta ownership-sharing arrangement with the Antiguan Government and the Rastafari Food for Life Collective.